The under-fire president of world cycling's governing body has insisted he did not influence a key decision not to allow the court of arbitration for sport to rule on whether he is eligible to stand for re-election.

Pat McQuaid, under pressure over the UCI's role in combating doping during the Lance Armstrong era, is facing a challenge from the British Cycling president, Brian Cookson, for the UCI presidency.

USA Cycling, backed by Russia, Canada, Finland and Algeria, last week challenged McQuaid to allow a dispute over the wording of the UCI constitution, that could block him from standing, to be settled by Cas.

After Swiss Cycling followed Irish Cycling in withdrawing its backing for McQuaid, he has been forced to rely on Morocco and Thailand to endorse his nomination.

USA Cycling said CAS should rule on whether that was allowed in order to rescue the credibility of a presidential race that has been watched with reactions varying from "amusement to outrage, from bewilderment to astonishment".

But the UCI executive committee said on Friday that it would not take the issue to Cas. The Irishman insisted he was not involved in the decision.

"I wasn't part of the decision. It was the executive committee," said McQuaid, who is in Buenos Aires for the International Olympic Committee session.

USA Cycling is believed to be considering its next move but McQuaid, asked whether the UCI had ignored the wishes of its members, said: "There are 175 federations and some have written to me saying they don't want to go to arbitration."

The dispute over the terms of the nomination process could have far-reaching consequences and McQuaid recently hit back in a letter to the UCI's members accusing Cookson of trying to engineer "a coronation and not an election".

Cookson has claimed the support of a string of big-name backers who argue that cycling needs a fresh start to re-establish its credibility, amid raised hopes that he stands a reasonable chance of defeating McQuaid in the election.

The increasingly acrimonious contest will be decided in Florence on 27 September.